As a peninsular country with more than 560 kilometers of coastline, coastal areas are of primary importance to Qatar. They are home to the bulk of its population, location of much of the country’s economic activity and provide crucial habitat for many of its ecosystems. Unfortunately, these valuable coastal areas are under threat by the impacts of pollution, climate change and other hazards. In recognition of the need to protect the nation’s coastal assets, QNMP completed the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (ICZMP).
The goal of the Plan is to enable growth and development of the coastal areas while protecting and preserving coastal natural resources and mitigating the impact of sea level rise due to climate change. The project is inspired by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and follows best practices for sustainable coastal development from other coastal nations. It included an in-depth study of the archaeological, socio-economic, and biodiversity aspects of the country’s entire coastal zone.
The main result of the project is a set of policies, guidelines and regulations to aid decision-making for coastal development. The project established a setback from the coastline for all development in the coastal zone to protect the ecosystem and to protect development from inundation due to the projected sea level rise resulting from climate change. New development within the coastal zone is also required to undergo special structural evaluation.
The ICZMP was approved in 2017. It will be used as the basis for a future ICZMP case study and for further coastal planning guidelines.
Link to ICZMP document coming soon...